Combined ironing board and carrying case for iron



March 19, 1957 R. v. MOLTER COMBINED IRONING BOARD AND CARRYING CASE FOR IRON Filed June 8. 1954 INVENTOR M WWW/ o 2 W ,JQLW 2% PM ATTORNEYS CQMBINED IRONING BOARD AND CARRYING CASE FOR IRON Ruth Vanderwerp-Molter, Sebring, Fla.

Application June 8, 1954, SerialNo. 435,122

Claims. (Cl. 38112) The present invention relates toironing boards and it is a particular object of the invention to provide an improved construction, simple and of low cost, wherein the ironing board can be converted into a carrying case for storing the iron, and which occupies a relatively small amount of space.

A more particular object of the invention is to provide an ironing board sectionalized transversely so as to enable it be folded down. into a carrying case into which the iron may be placed for storage and wherein the ironing board sections form walls of the case.

The foregoing and other objects and advantages inherent in the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of a preferred construction and the accompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. 1 is a view in perspective illustrating the board in its erected position ready for ironing;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the board in its erected position;

Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the board in erected position;

Fig. 4 is a vertical central longitudinal section showing the board when folded down into the carrying case, the iron being shown in dotted lines in its stored position in the case; and

Fig. 5 is a horizontal section taken on line 5--5 of Fig. 2.

With reference now to the drawings, the ironing board proper i. e. the part which forms the ironing surface, is seen to be constituted by a substantially rectangular rear section 1, a rectangular intermediate section 2 of the same width as section I, and a tapering front section 3, the rear of which is the same width as section 2. The intermediate section 2 is connected by a hinge 4 to the rear section l, and the front section 3 is connected by a hinge 5 to the intermediate section 2, the hinges 4 and 5 being of the plate type and extending preferably for the full width of the board sections.

Two side boards 6 and 7 which form side walls of the carrying case when the ironing board surface is folded down, and which serve as a stand to support the ironing board when in its erected position, depend preferably perpendicularly and are secured to the underside of the rear section 3. As seen clearly from the drawings, the side boards 6 and 7 are rectangular and preferably are set obliquely to the longitudinal axis of the board, converging in the direction of the front end of the board so as to form two converging walls of the pocket 9 into which the iron 8 is placed for storage.

A rectangular base board 10, parallel with the rear board section 1 and spaced therefrom by the side boards 6 and 7 to which it is secured serves to hold the side boards in their proper spaced relation. The base board forms another wall of the pocket 9 and the top side thereof lies in contact with the sole plate of the iron s. The base board 10 is of the same width as the rear ironing board section I. If desired, the under side of the board iii may be provided with rubber knobs 2,785,484 Patented Mar. 19, 1957 ice at the corners thereof to minimize any sliding action of the board on its support surface such as table, not shown, when in use.

For supporting the front end of the ironing board at the same height as the rear end, the front section 3 is provided at the forward end with a leg 11 depending from the under side thereof and attached thereto by an angle bracket 12. The intermediate portion of the leg 11 is preferably narrowed at 11a so as to enable the same to be grasped by the hand, since the leg 11 also serves as the handle by which to carry the board about when folded down into a carrying case as shown in Fig. 4. A spring catch 13 secured to the under side of the rear section 1 of the board is included to receive the free end of the leg 11 and thus hold all of the parts in their folded position. A cantilever spring retainer 14 is also preferably included, the spring being attached to the under side of an intermediate portion the rear board section 1 for cooperation with and to bear upon the handle of the iron 8 thus preventing the iron from moving about in the pocket when stored.

The manner of operation is believed to be self-evident from the foregoing description and drawings. Figs. 1-3 show the board in its erected position. To fold the board down into the position shown in Fig. 4 where it constitutes a carrying case, it is only necessary to swing the intermediate section 2 downward about its hinge 4 until it meets the front edge of the base board ill, the length of the intermediate section being the same as the height of the side boards 6 and. '7 and the front edge of the board It being in vertical alignment with the axis of hinge 4. The front section 3 of the board is folded in a similar manner about its hinge 5 along the under face of the base board Iii, its length being substantially the same as. that of the rear board section 1 and the leg 11 being brought into vertical alignment with the spring catch 13. The leg 11 is of the same length as the intermediate section 2 and hence when the ironing board is folded down into a carrying case, the front section 3, which forms the bottom wall of the case, will be parallel to the rear section 1 which thus forms the top wall of the case, and the leg 11 which forms the handle will be parallel with the intermediate section 2 which forms an end wall of the case.

As will thus now be evident, the construction is extremely simple and can be made at very low cost. Moreover it. can be converted from ironing board to carrying case and vice versa in a minimum of time and will occupy a minimum of space when folded down into a carrying case.

In conclusion, while the illustrated embodiment herein is to be preferred, it will be understood that various minor changes may be made in the construction, configuration and arrangement of parts without however departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. in an ironing board construction convertible to a storage case for an iron, the combination comprising an ironing board sectionalized into a rear section, an intermediate section and a front section, said sections being connected together by hinge means located on adjacent end edge portions at the under sides thereof, a pair of side boards depending from and secured to said rear section in spaced relation, the length of said intermediate section being substantially equal to the height of said side boards and the length of said front section being substantially equal to the length of said rear section, said intermediate section being foldable down so as to lie perpendicular to said rear section, and said front section being foldable relative to said intermediate section so as to lie perpendicular to said intermediate section and parallel with and under said rear section and side boards to form a pocket for storing an iron.

2. In an ironing board construction convertible to a carrying case for an iron, the combination comprising an ironing board sectionalized into a rear section, an int-ermediate section and a front section, said sections being connected together by hinge means located on adjacent end edge portions at the under sides thereof, a pair of side boards depending from and secured to said rear section in spaced relation, the length of said intermediate section being equal to the height of said side boards, and the length of said front section being substantially equal to the length of said rear section, a leg depending from the forward end of said front section of substantially the same length as the height of said side boards, and a base board secured to said side boards in parallel relation to said rear section, said intermediate section being foldable down so .as 'to lie perpendicular to said rear section, and said front section being foldable relative to said intermediate section so as to lie perpendicular to said intermediate section and parallel with and under said base board to form a pocket for storing an iron, said leg extending in a direction perpendicular to and meeting said rear section when said intermediate and front sections are folded, and means releasably securing the free end of said leg to said rear section.

3. In an ironing board construction convertible to a carrying case for an iron, the combination comprising an ironing board sectionalized into a rear section, an intermediate section hinged at one end edge to the adjacent end edge of said rear section and a front section hinged at one end edge to the opposite end edge of said intermediate section, and a base board secured in parallel spaced relation .to said rear section, the forward edges of said base board and rear section being in substantially the same vertical plane, the length of said intermediate section being substantially the same as the spacing between said rear section and base board, and said front section being of substantially the same length as said rear section, said intermediate section being foldable down and bridging the spacing between said base board and rear section, and said front section being foldable relative to said intermediate section so as to lie parallel with and under said base board, means for holding said sections in folded relationship and means for holding an iron within the space formed by the folded sections.

4. In an ironing board construction convertible to a storage case for an iron, the combination comprising an ironing board sectionalized into a rear section, an intermediate section hinged at one end edge to the adjacent end edge of said rear section and a front section hinged at one end edge to the opposite end edge of said intermediate section, a base board, and side boards extending between and maintaining said base board and rear section in parallel spaced relation, the forward edges of said base board and rear section being in substantially the same vertical plane transverse to the longitudinal axis of said ironing board, the length of said intermediate section being substantially the same as the spacing between said base :board and rear section, and said front section being of substantially the same length as said rear section, said intermediate section being foldable down and bridging the space between said rear section and base board, and said front section being foldable relative to said intermediate section so as to lie parallel with and under said base board thereby to form a pocket for storing an iron.

5. In an ironing board construction convertible to a carrying case for an iron, the combination comprising an ironing board sectionalized into a rear section, an internediate section hinged at one end edge to the adjacent end edge of said rear section and a front section hinged at one end edge to the opposite end edge of said intermediate section, a base boa-rd, side boards set obliquely to the longitudinal axis of said ironing board and converging in the direction of the front end of said board, said side boards extending between and maintaining said base board and rear section in parallel spaced relation, the forward edges of said base board and rear section being in substantially the same vertical plane transverse to the longitudinal axis of said ironing board, the length of said intermediate section being substantially the same as the height of said side boards and said front section being of substantially the same length as said rear section, said intermediate section being foldable down and bridg ing the space between said rear section and base board, and said front section being foldable relative to said intermediate section so as to lie parallel with and under said base board to form .a pocket for storing the iron, a leg secured at one end to the forward end of said front section and having a length substantially the same as the height of said side boards, said leg extending in a direction perpendicular to .and meeting said rear section when said intermediate and front sections are folded, and means releasably securing the free end of said leg to said rear section.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

